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Even the best store-bought plum can’t rival one grown in your backyard. Here are our favorites, from a classic peach to some Seussian-sounding hybrids
Even the best store-bought plum can’t rival one grown in your backyard. Here are our favorites, from a classic peach to some Seussian-sounding hybrids
This plum-apricot mix needs only 300 chill hours to be loaded with fruit, meaning it’s suitable for mild climates. Dappled red skin covers juicy, sweet blood red flesh.
Ripens: Mid-June to mid-July.
Prized for being both ornamental and edible, this nectarine-plum has magenta blooms and bright red new growth. Ripe fruit has white flesh, and both the nectarine and plum flavors come through.
Ripens: Mid-July to early August.
This apricot-plum hybrid has fist-size fruit that tastes like candy.
Ripens: Mid-June to early July.
This plum-cherry hybrid—the first of its kind—mixes cherrylike sweetness with plum size and tartness. The fruit hangs on the tree for six weeks, much longer than a traditional plum tree.
Ripens: Early July to mid-August.
Medium to large fruit with green skin and yellow-orange flesh. Harvest when it’s still on the firm side for more tartness, or let it turn slightly soft for an almost honeylike flavor.
Ripens: Mid-July to early August.
This classic peach tree yields large fruit with balanced flavor, perfect for eating fresh, baking, or canning.
Ripens: Late August to late September.
Coral and yellow skin covers juicy yellow flesh that is perfectly sweet—and equally good fresh, dried, or cooked in desserts.
Ripens: Mid- to late July.
Twiggy bare-root trees don’t look like much at the beginning, but planting them at this stage gives them the best kick-start for growth. Nurseries are well stocked with bare-root trees in winter. You can also order from baylaurelnursery.com. Trees come with roots packed in damp sawdust and wrapped in burlap. You can keep them in the sawdust for a day or two, but it’s best to plant right away.